Where is the Devil?

As we have been studying the book of Revelation, we find our study in the seven-year earthly tribulation that comes after the rapture of the Church and before the second coming of Christ.  It begins in Revelation 6.

 

The earthly tribulation is a seven-year period that demonstrates God’s judgement of wrath on unbelief.  It will manifest itself in a multiple series of judgments including seven seals and seven trumpets and seven bowls.

 

The seventh trumpet is sounded in Revelation 11:15. However, I told you incorrectly last Sunday.  We won’t see the details of that seventh trumpet until Revelation 16.

 

In Revelation 12-15, we are going to see some events and experiences that aren’t chronological but happening simultaneously with the second half of the earthly tribulation.  Matthew 24:21 calls this period the Great Tribulation.

 

21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

 

However, it is also possible that we will see some events this morning that happened in the past.  We might be reading what is actually a replay.  Honestly, it is hard to say for certain.

 

Before we get to Revelation 12:1, please keep in mind these time markers.  Three and half years is 42 months.  That is 42 thirty day months.  In days, that is 1,260.

 

Where is the devil right now?  If your answer is hell, it’s a little early.  We won’t get to hell until Revelation 20:10. That will be right before eternity begins.

 

Right now, I would say the devil is splitting his time between heaven and earth.  This may come as a surprise to you, but Satan has access to heaven even as we speak.  See Job 1:6 and Revelation 12:10.

 

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

 

10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

As for the devil on earth, Jesus said in John’s gospel on three occasions that Satan was the ruler of this world: 12:31, 14:30, and 16:11. 

 

In Ephesians 2:2, Paul called him “the prince of the power of the air.” 

 

However, the scariest image of Satan comes from Peter in 1 Peter 5:8.

 

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

 

Needless to say, that is a lot to digest already about the devil, and Revelation 12 contains even more.  This chapter can be easily divided into three scenes.

 

 

Scene 1: A Woman Giving Birth, Revelation 12:1-6

1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.  3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

 

Verse one begins with a great sign in heaven.  Another word for sign is symbol.  Therefore, our goal this morning is going to be to try to identify the symbolism that John is using. 

 

As I have said previously with symbolic language in Revelation, I’m not going to be dogmatic.  However, I will tell you what I think.

 

Verse one speaks of a woman, and verse two says she was with child and is in labor with pain.  However, the rest of verse one helps us immensely in identifying this woman.

 

She is clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and her head is a crown of twelve stars.  When first century Jews read this description, they immediately thought of Genesis 37:9. 

 

9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”

 

In a dream of Joseph’s, the sun is Jacob.  The moon is Rachel.  The stars are the twelve sons or tribes of Jacob who was later renamed Israel.  I believe this woman is the nation of Israel.

 

However, some have said this woman is the Church.  We’ll see in just a moment that this woman gives birth to Jesus Christ.  However, did the Church give birth to Jesus?  No, and therefore, I don’t think this woman can be the Church.

 

Our Roman Catholic friends say this woman is Mary.  Did Mary give birth to Jesus?  Yes, but did Mary flee into the wildness after Jesus’ birth and was she protected by God for one thousand two hundred and sixty days according to verse six?  No.  This woman is the nation of Israel.

 

Jesus was a Jew.  The nation of Israel gave birth to Jesus.

 

Another sign or symbol in this first scene is this great red dragon in verse three.  He has seven heads and ten horns and a diadem or crown on each head.  Who is this?  John helps us by identifying him in verse nine as the devil and Satan.

 

Are these seven heads and ten horns symbolic?  It is possible that they symbolize seven past ungodly kingdoms and ten future ungodly kingdoms, but we can’t be sure.  They may simply demonstrate his power and his evil.

 

Satan wanted desperately to destroy Jesus at His birth.  The reason is because Satan was in heaven but thrown out of heaven as seen in verse four. 

 

The first scene literally took place in the first century when Jesus was born, but verse four goes back to an event that happened before time began.  Satan fell from heaven and took a third of the angels with him.  Satan was there in Bethlehem waiting for Jesus to be born in order to destroy Him.

 

When the woman gave birth to her son, it was a male child who was to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.  This is a quote from Psalm 2:9 and certainly applies to Jesus. 

 

However, before the dragon could destroy Jesus, He was caught up to God and His throne.  This is the ascension of Christ at the end of His first coming. 

 

The last verse in this first scene then fast forwards us to the last half of the earthly tribulation that we have been talking about since Revelation six.  Verse six says that the woman, Israel, fled into the wilderness so she could be nourished and protected by God for one thousand two hundred and sixty days or forty-two months or three and a half years.

 

We saw that language last week and know that it refers to the second three and half years of the seven year earthly tribulation that begin in Revelation six.  The last half of the tribulation will be worse than the first, and persecution of God’s people will be the worst it has ever been.

 

 

Scene 2: A War in Heaven, Revelation 12:7-12a

7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.  10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!

 

Remember that we are now at a time in the future that is the last three and half years before Christ returns.  At the mid-point of the tribulation, a war in heaven will ensue.  It involves Michael and his angels against the dragon, Satan, the devil, and his angels or demons.  Satan will lose and subsequently be thrown out of heaven for good. 

 

However, he will be thrown down to the earth and his angels with him.  When that happens, there will be singing in heaven according to verse ten. 

 

Then see again the beginning of verse twelve.  For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them.  For the last three and a half years, Satan will be out of heaven because he lost the war against Michael, the archangel, and his angels.

 

Scene 3, A Woe on Earth, Revelation 12b-17

Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”  13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

 

During the last half of the seven-year tribulation, it is not going to be good for those on the earth.  Woe to them verse twelve ends.  The devil knows his time is short.  Therefore, his persecution on the earth will be intense.

 

Verse thirteen says he will persecute the woman, Israel.  However, the rest of this scene points us to a great eagle who will nourish her in the wilderness while protecting her from the devil. 

 

There have been some who have said this is the United States of America.  Our symbol is the bald eagle, and so in the end times, the United States will run to the aid of Israel and nourish and protect her from the devil.

 

I won’t to be clear this morning.  This is not a reference or even an inference to the United States of America.

 

Verse six has already told us who this great eagle is.  It is God Himself.  The OT often speaks of God’s wings offer protection for His people.  God is the one who will nourish and protect Israel in the last days as this is the same language that God used in protecting Israel from Egypt.  See Exodus 19:4.

 

4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.

 

Verse fifteen says that the devil will use a flood in trying to remove Israel from the map.  Is this is a literal flood?  I doubt it. 

However, a flood is characterized by destruction, and that is what the devil will seek to do with Israel.  He has tried previously through Pharaoh.  He tried previously through Herod.  He tried previously through Hitler.  He will try again and again through other human means, but he won’t succeed because God is on their side. 

 

However, in his frustration, not only will the devil attempt to eradicate the world of Jews, he will also attempt to eradicate the world of followers of Christ. 

 

Notice verse seventeen.  The devil goes off to make war with the rest of Israel’s children, those that keep the commandments of God, and those who hold to the testimony of Jesus.

 

Can it be said that Judaism gave birth to Christianity?  It sure can, and as a result, we are at war with the devil.

 

 

Conclusion

Let me end this morning with some good news and bad news.  I’ll start with the bad. 

 

We are at war with the devil.  This devil is a great red dragon.  Red symbolizes his desire to inflict pain and bloodshed. 

 

He is a deceiver.  His goal is to lie to you and lead you astray however he can. 

 

He stands before God day and night accusing you.  He accuses you of being a sinner and an adulterer and a liar and thief and an idolater and a drunk. 

 

He cannot endanger your salvation, but he can hurt you physically, and he is desperately trying to destroy your witness for Christ in this community by breaking up your marriage, by luring you into sin, by bankrupting you financially, and or by inflicting disease and suffering on you.

 

However, I have good news.  Are you ready?  As a follower of Jesus, we have victory over the devil.  Look at verse eleven. 

 

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

 

They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

How do we overcome?  I have three words for us: Calvary, confession, and commitment. 

 

First, the apex of our victory is Calvary.  Satan can do nothing about Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave.  There is no victory apart from Calvary.  There will be no victory over the devil in your life either eternally or earthly apart from a saving relationship with Jesus where you admit that you are a sinner, believe that Jesus died on the cross in your place and for you sins, and put your faith and trust in him as Lord and Savior.

 

Second, the activity of our victory is confession or our testimony.  Whether at work or home or school or the golf course or the lake or the ball game, we have victory when we verbally confess to others that we are followers of Christ.  However, it won’t be without consequences.  People will treat you differently and look at you differently and talk to you differently, but confession is our activity of victory.

 

Finally, the attitude of our victory is commitment to Jesus rather than self.  That is most assuredly seen in not loving your life even when faced with death. 

 

We are getting closer and closer every day for American Christians to start counting the cost of following Christ with their physical lives. 

 

However, some will say, “Brother Richard, I don’t want to lose my family, my spouse, my children.”  Neither do I, but I want what God’s wants for me more.  I pray that is true of you.

 

The Scriptures are clear about the good news.  It starts with Calvary.  It requires Confession.  It ends with Commitment.  We are in a war against the devil, but we know what is necessary for certain victory.